Does anyone else dislike splitting the bill?

[Savedbythebell36]

Unless you've had something very similar and the price difference is pennies.
I went out with a group of friends the other week, I don't drink alcohol and most of them do. I had a starter as a main course, and two diet cokes.
It came to £33 each when splitting, even though my starter was i think £8.99 and two cokes around £8 in total.

That included a tip, but that would've meant me leaving a £16 tip which sounds extreme. I wish I'd spoken up really, next time I will but you're labelled as 'tight' if you do that. I asked them to confirm again, and nobody said 'you've only had a starter/soft drinks whereas we had more.'

It does put me off going sometimes but I suppose if your friends call you tight/cheapskate then they aren't real friends? I'm on more of a budget too.

I am fussy with food. Most of the time I ask before I order. When I say frozen, I mean things that restaurants buy in as frozen, ie frozen veg. Things that you can taste the preservatives in. I have no problem paying if people have taken the time to peel stuff and cook as fresh, which I expect when eating out, but I won't pay the same price for frozen food as other places that charge same/similar for fresh cooked and prepared food. In much the same way I would never pay for a jacket potatoe that has been cooked in microwave. So as you can imagine, it's easier for me to just stay and cook myself or go for a salad or like the OP, have a starter as main if I need to be there ie, family or a friends birthday. 🙈

They don't care about you. They're using you

Why don't your friends notice? Mine do.

We go out to eat quite often with some vegan friends, whose dishes cost less on the whole and who don't tend to drink as much as we do so in a flush month we tend to say we'll pay the whole bill but when funds are a little tighter we always split 70-30 or some such. It seems really unfair for those consuming more/having more expensive items to pretend they haven't noticed!

Me and my friend group stopped splitting the bill years ago, drinkers, none drinkers, different courses, choice of food. Lots of different personal circumstances too. We just pay for what we've had. Never an issue.

I'd much prefer to split the bill if we've all roughly had the same, as it is much simpler. I've also experienced the opposite, as I sometimes go on small group holidays where you have up to 16 people wanting to pay for dinner individually, and by the time the poor waiter has gone round the table I've generally lost the will to live...

I rarely go out with just friends but with the group I do, drinks are purchased separately to the meals.

I tend to eat/drink a lot less than others so I normally check we are paying for our own beforehand or failing that I state early on that I will pay for mine because I won't be eating much. People get used to it and it stops any complaining.

Why on earth do people split the bill? I've never been out for a meal where this has been done, people just pay for what they ate/drank.

I see it from a different point of view, I feel guilty that I've had more than anyone else in the group (because I'm a greedy fat wino) and I would prefer to pay my exact share rather than split the bill if everyone else has eaten and drunk less than I have. I don't think it's fair to impose on friends who for whatever reason, are spending a lot less than I am.

This topic comes up so often online, forums, You Tube etc.....
I have never split bills evenly. We pay for what we had, or get a separate tab. Unless we are treating.
No one has ever given us guff. If they did, I'd stare at them and ignore.
I don't get why it's such a hot topic lately lol.
Anyone calling you tight is actually the tight one since they apparently expect you to subsidize their stuff. Throw that back at them.

If you don’t drink generally your bill will be cheaper and no friend is or should make you feel crap for spending less. Let people know in advance and just say I’ll pay mine separately and then they can all split the bill themselves a lot easier especially if don’t drink.

Stop hanging out with these rude people

Im the same. My closer friend network which includes a close family member now says ‘Clive you pay for what you had and we will split the rest’. They sometimes might also say that they’ll take the alcohol off and split the food. But I’m not a big eater either so paying what I eat and drink is preferred.

some work colleagues fell out with me once because I was in a budget and ordered a margarita pizza for £5 and then tap water (20 years ago). When it came to paying the restraint had automatically added a 10% charge for the table. My 10% was 50p but when it came to it they wanted to split the bill and wanted £10 from me which would have meant me paying a 100% tip. I avoided the alcohol and expensive food and did say something and refused as I really didn’t have the money. They weren’t very nice about it.

We always split the bill when we go out but will all eat similar things. None of us would be offended by someone saying they didn’t want to, they could just pay their share and we’d split the rest.

You do need to speak up about it if you’re not happy, or can’t afford it. If they’re arseholes about it then they’re not your friends.

Ive been with a group before and someone has said, hey i didnt drink so mine is roughly £xxx snd evryone else says, yeah cool. You pay that and we will
split the rest between the drinkers

easy

I only do this if I’m not drinking.

Otherwise it pretty much evens out and I’d feel right not just splitting it equally..

Completely agree, OP. I know people think it looks tight, or it's a faff, but all that happens is the people on a budget (and vegetarians and non-drinkers) end up subsidising the people who aren't bothered how much they spend. Which is both unfair and nonsensical.

I'd rather you just mentioned it at the beginning of the meal op.

The worst experience I have had is someone who keeps track of what everyone is ordering and makes sure she "keeps up" to ensure she isn't subsidising anyone: "Dh, DH, so and so just ordered another drink so YOU get one too." "I'm fine actually" "Well DD, YOU get one, because so and so just ordered another and we've only had x number..."

It makes the meal unbelievably uncomfortable for everyone and you feel you can't order what you want or you are pushing them to overspend.

I have learned to just say at the beginning, "shall we each pay for what we order?" and then everyone can relax.

How are you the cheapskate if you're paying for much more than you have consumed, and your friends aren't happy to pay for what they have actually consumed?

I think the label needs adjusting tbh.

Genuinely, so what if you’re tight/cheapskate? In these day and age and in current climate, we don’t all get a choice but be tight. You should really speak up next time, and if they’re your friends, they’ll definitely understand. And if not, good riddance!

Remember that brilliant thread on here where the op went out on a work do and that cf manager went too and ordered loads expecting the bill to be split. But op was wise to it and told him at the end that everyone was paying for their own and he was red faced

In circumstances when I have only gone out for example, a teams work night & the choosen venue was near work & I commuted, just before everyone finishes, I go to the loo and pay for what I had on the way back to table. Saves the drama and convo all together. My reasons for not wanting to split a bill in those circumstances was that I could not drink even if I wanted to as I have a long drive home and it is not a place I would have choosen and If can't relax and enjoy the eve in same way as everyone else but I go to be included and group dynamics, i am not going to pay for other people. But the venue would never be booked where I live as the rest of the team would never agree to go out as a majority if they were the ones expected to go somewhere they had to travel back after

If its a friends situation, everyone should be able to have the convo or just agree beforehand everyone is paying individually and if you are true friends, then everyone should be mindful that not everyone has the same budget.

I have a friend who has is on a more limited budget and single mum and I would never eat a steak and expect to split the bill as I know my friend would not order that and will order whatever the cheapest thing on the menu is so she is still showing up for friends and included. I would never expect her to pay for part of my food knowing she would never order something like that herself as she wouldn't have the disposable income to do so.

I have also been out many a time in groups of 20+ and the staff have a card machine and just goes round the table

If I am out with friends and everyone is similar circumstances finacially, then I don't mind splitting bill.

This post made me think of vids on youtube where they go out on a date and order every single item on the menu as they fully intend to stick the other person with the entire bill before they even got there and some even take the food home! Lol

If they're calling you "cheapskate" call them out on it

I've never accidentally split the bill equally with a non-drinker without realising.

These people know what they are doing.